News from Handy Tech North America - KNFB READER & the N82

[Mike Arrigo]

I couldn't agree more. Usually, software for mobile phones costs less than
software for the PC, not more The kurzweil 1000 reading software, which runs
on a PC goes for $995 I think. I would consider $400 reasonable for a
package like that, but the current price is ridiculous, they can keep it.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Stephen Giggar" <sgiggar at sbcglobal.net>
To: "The Accessible Phones Discussion List" <blindphones at mosenexplosion.com>
Sent: Tuesday, January 29, 2008 2:20 PM
Subject: Re: News from Handy Tech North America - KNFB READER & the N82


> They are asking way to much for the software for the cell phone. $1,595
USD is to high for the
> KNFBReader software by itself. That is over 5 times the price of the
screen reader for the Nokia
> N82. That is over 4 time the cost of Way Finder Access. That is over 3
times the cost of the cell
> phone.
>
> It is bad when the makers of the KNFB reader haven't done any research to
see what software is going
> for and if they want to make it a must have; They need to lower the price
to about $400 or so. After
> all; They didn't have to do any research or stuff like that. Being they
had a copy already running
> on a Windows PDA. All they had to do is to convert it to the Symbian
platform.
>
> I do not see very many people buying the very costly KNFBReader software.
Now if they lower the
> price of it like I said above; Then they will find that their sell
probably will go way up.
>
> Signed: Stephen Giggar
> sgiggar at sbcglobal.net
> Skype: dr-phone.
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Bob Campbell" <robert-c at pacbell.net>
> To: "The Accessible Phones Discussion List"
<blindphones at mosenexplosion.com>
> Sent: Monday, January 28, 2008 10:57 PM
> Subject: News from Handy Tech North America - KNFB READER & the N82
>
>
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Hi.  I got this from another list and thought it would be of interest
to
> > others who use the N82 or anyone interested in new accessibility issues.
> > I don't intend  it as  promoting the product: just sharing the info.
> > Bob C.
> >
> >
> >
> > K-NFB Reading Technology
> > January 28, 2008
> > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> >
> > --Cell Phone Can Read Documents for Blind
> >
> > Dear Customer:
> >
> > Handy Tech North America is pleased to be an
> > authorized dealer of K-NFB Reading Technology
> > products.  We are now taking orders for the
> > newly released K-NFB Reader, version 2
> > software which runs on the Nokia N82 Symbian
> > phone. The cost of the K-NFB Reader bundle
> > from Handy Tech North America is $2,495.
> > This package includes the Nokia N82 phone,
> > K-NFB Reader software and your choice of
> > either Talks or Mobile Speak screen reader.
> > Note that the K-NFB Reader is a self voicing
> > application which does not require the use of
> > a third party screen reader; however, a
> > screen reader is necessary to access the
> > other features of the phone such as contacts,
> > messaging, calendar appointments, caller ID
> > and call logs. We are pleased to offer the
> > newly released KNFB Reading system to our
> > customers.
> >
> >
> > Here is a link to a demo of the reader:
> >
> >
> > http://www.triumphonic.com/demos/readerdemo.mp3
> >
(http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001JDx4ckL3Yd9AOcW8mM9c_8YoxlawKaAPgkIEaTdUfoEK59lT
4YrJRJtBP0WpdGbsCrQEJFE66T1kxuchMlRRcWGlaEsIkY-smspyqMNZgMG3Nm553JhER1U2zX8r
gIropZPbNqW66JUBWrnziyDdTg==)
> >
> > The following is the press release of the
> > K-NFB Reader announced earlier this morning:
> >
> >
> > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> > Cell Phone Can Read Documents for Blind
> > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> > By ALEX DOMINGUEZ
> >
> > BALTIMORE (AP) - Chris Danielsen fidgets with
> > the cell phone, holding it over a $20 bill.
> > "Detecting orientation, processing U.S.
> > currency image," the phone says in a flat
> > monotone
> > before Danielsen snaps a photo. A few seconds
> > later, the phone says, "Twenty dollars."
> > Danielsen, a spokesman for the National
> > Federation of the Blind, is holding the next
> > generation of computerized aids for the blind
> > and visually impaired.
> >
> > The Nokia cell phone is loaded with software
> > that turns text on photographed documents
> > into speech. In addition to telling whether a
> > bill is worth $1, $5, $10 or $20, it also allows
> > users to read anything that is photographed,
> > whether it's a restaurant menu, a phone book
> > or a fax.
> >
> >
> >
> > While the technology is not new, the NFB and
> > the software's developer say the cell phone
> > is the first to incorporate the
> > text-to-speech ability.
> >
> >
> >
> > "We've had reading devices before," Danielsen
> > said, noting similar software is already
> > available in a larger handheld reader housed
> > in a personal digital assistant. Companies
> > such as Code Factory SL, Dolphin Computer
> > Access Ltd. and Nuance Communications
> > Inc. also provide software that allows the
> > blind to use cell phones and PDAs.
> >
> >
> >
> > Inexpensive hand-held scanners such as WizCom
> > Technologies Ltd.'s SuperPen can scan
> > limited amounts of text, read it aloud and
> > even translate from other languages.
> >
> >
> >
> > However, the $2,100 NFB device combines all
> > of those functions in one smart phone, said
> > James Gashel, vice president of business
> > development for K-NFB Reading Technology
> > Inc., which is marketing the phone as a joint
> > venture between the federation and software
> > developer Ray Kurzweil.
> >
> >
> >
> > "It is the next step, but this is a huge
> > leap," Gashel, who is blind, said in a telephone
> > interview. "I'm talking to you on the device
> > I also use to read things. I can put it in my
> > pocket and at the touch of a button, in 20
> > seconds, be reading something I need to read in
> > print."
> >
> >
> >
> > Ray Kurzweil, who developed the first device
> > that could convert text into audio in the
> > 1970s and the current NFB device, said
> > portability is only the first step. Future
> > versions of
> > the device will recognize faces, identify
> > rooms and translate text from other languages for
> > the blind and the sighted.
> >
> >
> >
> > The inventor plans to begin marketing the
> > cell phone in February through K-NFB Reading
> > Technology. The software will cost $1,595 and
> > the cell phone is expected to cost about
> > $500, Kurzweil said.
> >
> >
> >
> > Dave Doermann, president of College
> > Park-based Applied Media Analysis said his
> > company is working on similar software for
> > smart phones that could be used by the
> > military for translation and by the visually
> > impaired.
> >
> >
> >
> > "We don't anticipate ours being that
> > expensive, but unfortunately we're not quite
> > to the
> > release yet," said Doermann, who is also
> > co-director of the University of Maryland's
> > Laboratory for Language and Media
> > Processing.
> >
> >
> >
> > Doermann said the company, which has received
> > funding from the Department of Defense
> > and the National Eye Institute, hopes to have
> > its software ready in the next 12 to 18
> > months.
> >
> >
> >
> > Kurzweil's device uses speech software
> > provided by Nuance, said Chris Strammiello, the
> > director of product management at Nuance, who
> > said the company has also developed a
> > director of product management at Nuance, who
> > said the company has also developed a
> > prototype reader that uses the Internet to
> > access more powerful server-side
> > computers.
> >
> >
> >
> > "As you can harness the power of remote
> > environments and do that so quickly with the
> > Web technologies, it gives a lot more
> > capability, flexibility and options to the
> > way you solve
> > these type of problems," Strammiello
> > said.
> >
> >
> >
> > There are about 10 million blind and visually
> > impaired people in the U.S., a number that is
> > expected to double in the next 30 years as
> > baby boomers age.
> >
> >
> >
> > Kurzweil said those with vision problems are
> > not the only ones expected to benefit from
> > the technology. Dyslexics, for example, are
> > expected to be among the users of the current
> > device because of its ability to highlight
> > each word as it's read aloud, helping them cope
> > with their disability, which affects the
> > ability to read. The highlighting function
> > can also help
> > them improve their reading skills, he
> > said.
> >
> >
> >
> > "What's new here is both blind people and
> > kids can do this with a device that fits in their
> > shirt pocket," Kurzweil said.
> >
> >
> >
> > Marc Maurer, president of the National
> > Federation of the Blind, said the device and its
> > PDA predecessor are a "form of hand-held
> > vision" that will make the visual environment
> > "much more readily available to the blind."
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> > Contact Information
> > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> > email: earle at handytech.us
> > phone: (651) 636-5184
> > web:
> > http://www.handytech.us
> >
> >
> >
> >
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